The Seventh Wheel
by ImpossibleSociety
Summary: What happens when Leo doesn't know how to feel about Percy and Calypso? Percy/Leo heart-to-heart. ONESHOT. COMPLETE.


**IMPORTANT: This takes place during the Blood of Olympus, after the giant storm caused by Kym. For the purposes of this scene, please disregard the small part where Leo and Percy talk while battling Nike. It would make so much more sense.**

* * *

Leo wanted to punch Percy in the face.

He was lying in the hull of the _Argo II_, up to his elbows in grease. His fingers flew across the tangled wires and pipes, screwing and hammering loudly, the familiar clanking of metal against metal only slightly muting his anger.

Calypso floated into his mind again. It was for what had to be the hundredth time that day, but Leo couldn't help it. Tinkling laugh, innocent smile, and cinnamon scent replayed in his memory as if they were branded there. As soon as their lips had met, he was without a doubt that he loved her.

She had hated him at first. Her dark eyes were hardly trained on him, and when they were, held nothing less than the weight of a glare. Calypso had screamed at the gods, demanding to know why they had sent her Leo, a "charbroiled runt of a boy". Her long golden brown hair whipped back and forth, eyes flashing in anger. The two of them remained in a nearly palpable tension.  
Leo was going crazy. His hands ached to find something to fix, and he eventually settled for the most basic things. Her fountain. The curtains that lined her cave. The rusty gardening tools that were well past their expiration.

She eventually became more comfortable around him, smiling at his jokes even though she pretended to hate him. _No one_ hated Leo Valdez.

He had fallen, and fallen hard, and surprisingly, he was ok with it. He would get back to Ogygia if it killed him. And if he didn't, it would. He had sworn on the River Styx.

It was a promise he intended to keep.

And then there was Percy. The hero of Camp Half-Blood, legendary demigod who had defeated Kronos. He summoned _hurricanes._ He had made it through Tartarus. The Olympians had offered to make him _a god._ All Leo did was randomly burst into flames and sometimes fix things. Of course Calypso had a thing for Percy. And he had left her.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. It got to the point where Leo could literally feel himself heating up. Complex machinery and the possibility of an explosion? Not the greatest thing that could happen while they were trying to save the world.

He needed some air.

It was the middle of the night. The rest of the crew should have been sleeping. But obviously Leo shouldn't have counted on _should have._ With his luck, everything went wrong.

Ever since Piper had woken up Festus, it hadn't been necessary for someone to be steering at all times, leaving the deck of the _Argo II_ emptier than it normally was. Because of that, Leo had been counting on being alone. Well, as alone as one could be with a giant bronze dragon head. So _of course_ he would run into Percy the Horse Whisperer Jackson.

He was leaning on one of the rails, looking out at the sea as the ship rocked gently back and forth along with the waves. Then again, everything seemed gentle compared to the storm Kym the action figure had stirred up.

Leo tried backing away as silently as possible, suddenly wishing he had the ability to turn into a weasel like Frank.

"I'm sorry." The voice nearly scared the screws out of his toolbelt. Percy turned to him, and Leo cursed the gods at what was surely going to be one of the most awkward conversations he had ever had. And by Leo's standards, that was saying a lot.

"Sorry for what?"

Percy walked up to him slowly. "Calypso."

And with that, Leo's anger returned full force. He hoped Percy would back up, because if he spontaneously combusted and Percy went up with him, he definitely didn't want to deal with Annabeth. Apparently Percy saw the resentment on Leo's face and raised his hands slowly.

"Hey, man, hear me out. I didn't want to-"

Leo's patience snapped. "Didn't want to _what_? You _left _her there. She liked you and then you what? Said thanks and took off?" His chest was heaving.

The only sound was of the seawater slapping against the side of the ship. Percy stared at him for a long moment, before he turned. Curses bubbled up Leo's chest; he was just going to turn away again? Like he had done to Calypso?

He was cut short though, when he saw that Percy had only walked a few feet away. He slid his back down the side of the ship slowly so that he was sitting against it, letting a huge breath go as he did.

There was another moment of silence.

"Hazel."

_What?_

"What?"

"Hazel." He repeated her name again, so simply that it made Leo feel like he was missing something.

He scratched at his hair, unsurprised when his fingers returned blackened with oil. Again silence passed through the deck before Leo broke. "What about Hazel?"

Percy responded without hesitation. "You liked her, didn't you?"

Leo's mouth drifted open in surprise. Before he could throw out a comeback, Percy continued.

"Of course you did. I may not be the best when it comes to relationships, but I saw it. _Everyone _saw it. Even with Frank, you still stared at her, didn't you? And to be honest, I can't say I blame you.

"Hazel's like a little sister to me. But you'd be blind if you didn't see how awesome she is. So yeah, she came back from the dead. It's not even about the power. I mean, heck yeah, causing bracelet avalanches and having a horse with the world's dirtiest mouth is cool, but Hazel's smart. She's one of the bravest people I've ever met. What she went through would have made anyone _want _to be dead, but not her. She's caring and sweet and she _deserves _someone great."

A stupid lump started forming in Leo's throat and he felt his hatred toward Percy weakening, even if he didn't understand what he was trying to get at.

"But then there's someone else. For you, it was Calypso. And I'm happy for you. It's that one person that makes everyone else seem boring in comparison, no matter how amazing they are. You look at them and you realize that without a doubt you would die for them. That if you had to had to pick one person to be with for the rest of your life, that it would be them.

"There are other people. Other people that if you hadn't met that one person, would have met all of your standards. You would have been completely happy, but then that person just comes and blows everything you knew out of the water. So tell me, Leo, do you still see Hazel the same way? After meeting Calypso, can you honestly tell me that you still have feelings for Hazel?

"Hazel's an amazing girl. We both know that. But _it's not the same._ Nothing's the same after you meet the person you're meant for."

There were no words. At least for Leo. But apparently Percy wasn't done.

"Annabeth's that person for me. She's the one. Maybe if I hadn't known her, things would be different. But once you meet someone like her, you can never really go back, can you?"

The silence this time wasn't awkward. It was filled with understanding.

Percy stood. He started off, probably back to his room, but finally Leo unfroze, catching his arm just in time.

"Wait." The pale green eyes that had normally seemed so intimidating were now nothing but kind.

"Thanks...for that. It's just that the whole thing with you and her..."

Percy clapped him on the shoulder. "I get it. And I promise, I'll do whatever I can to get her off that island." With one final smile, Percy walked out of sight, leaving Leo alone.

It could have been seconds that Leo stood there, but it felt like hours. Eventually he made his way to the helm of the ship, where Festus was.

For the first time in what felt like days, a real smile tugged at Leo's lips.

"Come on, Festus, we've got a girl to save."

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**Thanks for reading! This is my first try at a Percy Jackson fiction. And trust me, it's not for a lack of ideas, but how can you come up with something to top (or even come close to, for that matter) Rick Riordan? I took a stab at it... really hoping this isn't too OOC. Because of the moron I am, I thought to myself "Oh, first time doing a PJO fanfic? Why not Leo's point of view?" Brilliant. **

**Hopefully this didn't spoil much if you haven't read the Blood of Olympus, and if you have, hopefully this all made sense!**

**Please review!**

**~ImpossibleSociety**


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